Tamper-proof package



2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 8, 1965 INVENTOR DONALD H ZIPPER w T T AMarch 26, 1968 D. H. ZIPPER TAMPER-PROOF' PACKAGE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FiledOct. 8, 1965 @UUUOUUUU manna 00mm [1mm] [1 w MGM INVENTOR DONALD HZIPPER Unite This invention relates to new and useful improvements intamper-proof packages and more particularly is directed to a simplifiedform of tamper-proof closure cap and co-operating container finish whichmay be easily manufactured and expediently assembled.

Tampen'proof caps as such are old in the art. Known types oftamper-proof packages includes a container and a closure with anintegral tamper-proof band, seal, or ring which is fractured from theremainder of the closure ca-p when the package or container is opened.Screw-type, tamper-proof type closures have been used extensively in thepackaging of alcoholic beverages, drugs, and the like. If thetampersproof band on the closure is to be restrained against rotation tocause fracture, the caps are usually applied to the container and thethreads subsequently formed by a known type of manufacturing process. Ifthe threads are formed prior to application, then the tamperproof bandmust be deformed sub-sequent to application to hold it to the finish topermit breaking when the cap is removed. in either case, cap applicationis more time consuming, and hence costly.

The present invention deals with an improved type of tamper-proofclosure applicable by a press-on motion and having a unique means tofacilitate rotational removal. The tamper-proof band is joined to thecap proper through frangible bridging sections and is disposed on thecontainer in such a manner that the band is retained after the cap isremoved. Under the action of gravity, the tamper-proof band drops awayfrom the lower portion of the cap thereby to visually indicate that thepackage or container has been tampered with. In this manner, it may benoticed and retrieved before sale. The tamperproof band of the presentinvention will be retained on the finish even though the container isinverted to dispense thecontents in normal use.

The present tamper-proof cap design has the advantage of being capableof application by a press-on type motion. Self-forming threadspermitting rotational removal of the cap are formed by such press-onmotion without additional mechanical processing. Accordingly, very highcapping speeds may be maintained since no mechanical thread forming,indexing, or rotary capping motion is required, making manufacture andapplication of the tamper-proof closure cap design of the presentinvention economical. It follows that it may be applied to a greatersegment of containerized foo-d products without a substantial increasein cost.

Other advantages will become apparent when the objects and a detaileddescription of representative embodiments of the invention areconsidered below.

It is an object of this invention to provide a novel tamper-proofclosure which is easily applied to the container without rotation,indexing or mechanical type thread forming.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a tamper-proofclosure in which the tamper-proof band will be retained on thesealing'finish of the container and will drop down on the containerfinish once the bridging portions joining it to the closure cap havebeen fractured.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a novel tamper-proofclosure arrangement in which the tamper proof band assists in retainingthe closure c ap on the container.

Additional objects and advantages will become ap- States atent parentwhen description of preferred embodiments of the invention are given inconjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is an enlarged diametric cross sectional View of a closure capmade in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary portion of a container finish adapted toaccommodate the cap of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary enlarged cross sectional view of a containerfinish of FIG. 2 with the cap of FIG. 1 being applied by a capping headshown fragmentarily before the curl is rolled into the neck of thecontainer;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to the view of FIG. 3 with the cap in the fullyseated position after the curl is rolled into the neck of the container;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 after the tamperproof ring has beenfractured from the closure cap proper;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 1 of a cap construction for a similarform of container finish;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary portion of a similar form of container finish toreceive the cap shown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged cross sectional view of the finish of FIG. 7 withthe cap of FIG. 6 fully seated; and

FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIG. 8 in which the cap is in a stage ofremoval and the tamper-proof band has dropped.

Referring to FIG. 1, the closure cap shown at 10 includes a top panelportion 11 having a shoulder portion 12 forming one margin of a gasketgroove 13 while the outer margin is defined by a depending skirt portion14. The inner circumferential surface 15 of the skirt 14, as well as thegasket groove 13, is filled with a layer of gasket material 16 forsealing to a container finish and formation of means to facilitaterotational removal of the closure cap. The gasket material may be of thetype described in US. Patent No. 2,874,863 and Patent No. 2,841,304, orthe equivalent.

The lower margin of the skirt 17 is joined to a tamperproof band 18through a series of frangible bridging portions 19 at spaced intervals.The lower margin of the tamper-proof ring 18 may be curled as at 20While the main body of the tamper-proof band 18 is provided with aseries of hollow embossments or recesses 21 which extend from adjacentthe level of the bridging portions 19 downwardly to the top of the curl20.

A fragmentary portion of a container is illustrated at 22 in FIG. 2,having a necked-in portion 23 defining the lower extremity of thecontainer sealing finish portion 24. At the upper extremity of thesealing finish portion 24, is an upper rim 25 having a plurality ofgrooves or recesses 26. Oppositely directed earns 27 and 28 are formedat the ends of the recesses 26 and lead up to the rim 25. The sealingfinish may be constructed in accordance with the application of Moloneyet al., Ser. No. 490,311, filed Sept. 27, 1965, and issued as US. PatentNo. 3,285,452 on Nov. 15, 1966, and reference may be had to thatapplication for additional details of the construction. A smoothfrusto-conical portion 29 extends from adjacent the top of the finishdown to a cylindrical bandlike portion 30 immediately above the neck 23.A series of solid embossrnents or lugs 31 are formed on the cylindricalportion 39 for co-operation with the hollow embossments or recesses 21in the tamper-proof band 18.

In FIG. 3 is illustrated an enlarged half sectional view of the closurecap of FIG. 1 as applied to the container finish of FIG. 2, A cappinghead 32 presses the closure cap 10 onto the rim 25 of the containerfinish causing the gasket compound 16 to fiow into the grooves 26 toform cam surfaces co-operating with the cam surfaces 27 and 28 on thecontainer finish. The details of this feature are 3 fully described inthe copending application mentioned above.

Simultaneously with the completion of the press-on motion applying theclosure cap 10, a punch 33 engages the curl 20 to roll it radiallyinward into the neck 23 to the position shown in FIG. 4. The punch 33may be continuous or can engage the curl at spaced points around theclosure cap depending upon the particular application. In either event,the deformation of the curl 20 radially inward to the position shown inFIG. 4 serves to assist in maintaining the closure cap 10 on thecontainer finish 24.

During the press-on application, the uniformity of the container andcontainer finish 24 and lack of threads or the equivalent permits theapplication of the closure cap 10 with a purely vertical motion. Sincethe lugs 31 are close to each other and slightly rounded at their upperextremity, the co-operating recesses will automatically align with thesame when the cap is applied. When the closure cap 10 is fully seated asshown in FIG. 4, the gasket compound 16 is reformed to form cam surfacesco-opcrating with the cam surfaces 27 and 28.

When the cap is to be removed, the closure cap 10 is rotated relative tothe container 22. The attending axial movement caused by the camsurfaces 27 or 28 of the closure cap 10 with such rotation, causes thebridging sections 19 to fracture, as is shown in dotted lines at 34 and35, permitting the tamper-proof band 18 to drop doWn on the finish.During removal, the locking action of the lugs 31 in the recesses 21revents the tamper-proof band 18 from rotating with the cap while thecurl being engaged in the neck 23 will preclude upward movement of theband 18. The loose interfit between the band 18 and cylindrical portion30 of the finish 24 permits the band 18 to fall to the position shown inFIG. by gravitational force.

A closure cap 40 of a type similar to that shown in FIG. 1 isillustrated in longitudinal cross section in FIG. 6. Cap 40 has a centertop panel 41 and shoulder 42 which forms the inner margin or peripheryof a gasket groove 43. The outer periphery of the gasket groove 43 isformed by a skirt portion 44 which has an inner circumferential surface45 lined with an elastomeric or plastomeric compound 46. The gasketcompound extends from adjacent the bottom margin of the skirt 44 alongthe inner circumference 45 and inwardly across a portion of the toppanel filling the gasket groove 43 and terminating slightly inwardly ofthe shoulder 42.

A tamper-proof band 47 is provided with a curl 48 at its lower extremityand is joined at its upper margin through spaced bridging portions 49 tothe lower peripheral portion of the skirt 44. Any number of bridgingportions may be provided, however, it is contemplated that only asufficient number will be provided to perform the function of holdingthe cap to the finish when the curl portion 48 is rolled within theneck. An excessive number could conceivably make cap removal difficult.A series of recesses 50 are provided around the inner circumferentialsurface of the tamper-proof band 47 and may be of any desired shape.

In FIG. 7 is shown a sealing finish 51 on a container 52. The sealingfinish has a cylindrical portion 53 provided with a series of knobs orlugs 54 much in the fashion of the container of FIG. 2. Above thecylindrical portion 53 is a sealing portion 55 having thread means 56 atspaced intervals. The thread means 56 is similar to that of FIG. 1,however, is uni-directional rather than bi-directional. Also, the threadmeans 56 is located downwardly of the top rim 57 on the finish 51. Thedetails of this construction may be found in the copending applicationto Foster et al., Ser. No. 369,092, filed May 21, 1964. As noted in thedescription of FIGS. l-S, the gasket material may comprise a plastisolcompound of the type described in the application alluded to above orthe type described in US. Patent No. 2,874,863, and US. Patent No.2,841,304.

As seen in FIG. 8, when the cap is applied to the finish 51 with thecurl rolled into the neck 58 of the container 52, the gasket compound 46fills the thread means 56. The gasket compound seals the cap to thecontainer from inwardly of the rim 57 to the lower margin of the skirt44. The recesses receive the lugs 54 locking the tamper-proof band 47against rotation relative to the finish. The curl 48 may be rolled intothe neck 58 if it is desired to assist in holding the cap 40 to thecontainer finish 51.

Obviously, if the combined holding force of the gasket and vacuum in thecontainer is sufiicient to prevent the cap 40 from becoming loose, thestep of rolling of the curl into the neck may be omitted in the abovedescribed embodiment as well as that of FIGS. l-S. In such case, thetamper-proof band is only restrained against rotation, so that fractureof the bridging portions occurs as a result of the shear forces. Tensileor downward forces, developed when the curl 48 is rolled into the neck58, are transmitted to the cap 40 through the bridging portions 49.

When the cap is to be removed from the finish it is simply rotated inthe usual counterclockwise direction. This causes the co-operatingthread means formed in the gasket 46 to ride up the cam surfaces formingthe thread means 56. The attendant relative axial and rotationalmovement occurring between the tamper-proof band 47 and closure capcauses the frangible bridging portions 49 to fracture. The tamper-proofband may then drop to the position shown in FIG. 9. After fracture fromthe tamper-proof band 47, the closure cap 40 may then be removed andreplaced as desired. As was the case in th embodiment of FIGS. 1-5, theembodiment of FIGS. 6-9 also permits capping at extremely high speedssince it may be applied to the container with a simple press-on typemotion. The curl 48 on the tamper-proof band 47 is rolled into the neck58 of the container 52 to assist in cap retention while also holding thetamper-proof band 47 to the container when the contents of the containerare being dispensed.

The simplicity of the tamper-proof cap of the present invention permitsit to be readily manufactured. A neat appearance is presented whichprovides advertising space around the skirt inasmuch as it is free ofthreads, projections, and ridges which is commonplace in prior artdesigns.

Upon a consideration of the foregoing, it will become obvious to thoseskilled in the art that various modifications may be made withoutdeparting from the invention embodied herein. Therefore, only suchlimitations should be imposed as are indicated by the spirit and scopeof the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A tamper-proof package comprising a container havinng a sealingfinish, said sealing finish having a plurality of cam surfaces thereon,an outwardly facing smooth circumferential portion disposed below saidcam surfaces, a cylindrical portion disposed below said circumferentialportion, a plurality of spaced lug means on said cylindrical portion,each of said lug means projecting radially outward from said cylindricalportion, a closure cap received over said sealing finish, said closurecap having a tap panel covering the top of said sealing finish and adepending skirt at the marginal edges of said top panel, said skirtbeing spaced from said sealing finish and a deformable gasketsubstantially "filling the space between said skirt and saidcircumferential portion, said gasket extending into engagement to form acam surface: for co-operation with said cam surfaces on said finish, atamper-proof band frangibly joined through spaced bridging portions to alower portion of said skirt, said tamper-proof band having a series ofspaced recesses.

therein with closed upper and lower ends for receivingsaid lug means onsaid cylindrical portion thereby to prevent rotation of said band,whereby rotation of said closure cap to effect removal from said packagewill serve to fracture said =bridging portions thereby indicating thatsaid package has been opened, the vertical length of said spacedrecesses substantially exceeding the vertical length of said lug meansso as to permit said tamperproof band to drop down when it has becomeseparated from said skirt.

2. The tamper-proof package of claim 1 wherein means is provided toretain said tamper-proof band on said container after fracture of saidbridging portions.

3. The tamper-proof package of claim '2 wherein said means to retainsaid tamper-proof band on said container comprises said tamper-proofband *being formed with a curl and at least a portion of said curl beingdeformed into a neck portion of said container to assist in holding saidcap to said finish.

4. A tamper-proof package comprising a container having a sealingfinish, a plurality of upwardly facing cam surfaces formed on saidfinish, a series of radially projecting lug means formed on said packagebelow said sealing finish, a closure cap including a tamper-proof bandcovering said sealing finish, gasket means filling at least a portion ofthe space between said cap and said sealing finish and overlying saidcam surfaces to form co-operating surfaces to permit rotational removalof said cap after press-on application, a series of radially openingrecesses with closed upper and lower ends in said tamper-proof band,said recesses receiving said lug means during press-on application ofsaid cap to said finish and functioning to prevent rotation of said bandrelative to said finish, and frangible bridging means joining said bandto the remainder of said closure cap whereby rotational removal of saidcap will cause fracture of said frangible bridging means to separatesaid tamper-proof band and said remainder of said closure cap, thevertical length of said radial opening recesses substantially exceedingthe vertical lentgh of said lug means so as to permit said tamper-proofband to drop down when it has become separated from the remainder ofsaid closure cap.

5. The tamper-proof package of claim 4 wherein a portion of saidtamper-proof band includes a curl which is deformed into a neck portionof said container to assist in holding said cap and band thereon, saidcurl holding said tamper-proof band on said container after removal ofsaid closure cap.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,504,698 8/1924 Merolle 215-392,122,294 6/1938 Regan 215-42 2,131,319 9/1938 Greenholtz et al. 215-433,158,278 11/1964 Knapp et al. 215-42 3,181,719 5/1965 Schaich 215-463,219,223 11/1965 Hadley et al. 215-42 3,235,115 2/1966 Duke 215-423,270,904 9/1966 Foster et al 215-43 3,285,452 11/1966 Moloney et a1215- FOREIGN PATENTS 1,276,285 10/1961 France.

404,951 1/ 1934 Great Britain.

DONALD F. NORTON, Primary Examiner.

JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Examiner.

1. A TAMPER-PROOF PACKAGE COMPRISING A CONTAINER HAVING A SEALINGFINISH, SAID SEALING FINISH HAVING A PLURALITY OF CAM SURFACES THEREON,AN OUTWARDLY FACING SMOOTH CIRCUMFERENTIAL PORTION DISPOSED BELOW SAIDCAM SURFACES, A CYLINDRICAL PORTION DISPOSED BELOW SAID CIRCUMFERENTIALPORTION, A PLURALITY OF SPACED LUG MEANS ON SAID CYLINDRICAL PORTION,EACH OF SAID LUG MEANS PROJECTING RADIALLY OUTWARD FROM SAID CYLINDRICALPORTION, A CLOSURE CAP RECEIVED OVER SAID SEALING FINISH, SAID CLOSURECAP HAVING A TAP PANEL COVERING THE TOP OF SAID SEALING FINISH AND ADEPENDING SKIRT AT THE MARGINAL EDGES OF SAID TOP PANEL, SAID SKIRTBEING SPACED FROM SAID SEALING FINISH AND A DEFORMABLE GASKETSUBSTANTIALLY FILLING THE SPACE BETWEEN SAID SKIRT AND SAIDCIRCUMFERENTIAL PORTION, SAID GASKET EXTENDING INTO ENGAGEMENT TO FORM ACAM SURFACE FOR CO-OPERATION WITH SAID CAM SURFACES ON SAID FINISH, ATAMPER-PROOF BAND FRANGIBLY JOINED THROUGH SPACED BRIDGING PORTIONS TO ALOWER PORTION OF SAID SKIRT, SAID TAMPER-PROOF BAND HAVING A SERIES OFSPACED RECESSES THEREIN WITH CLOSED UPPER AND LOWER ENDS FOR RECEIVINGSAID LUG MEANS ON SAID CYLINDRICAL PORTION THEREBY TO PREVENT ROTATIONOF SAID BAND, WHEREBY ROTATION OF SAID CLOSURE CAP TO EFFECT REMOVALFROM SAID PACKAGE WILL SERVE TO FRACTURE SAID BRIDGING PORTIONS THEREBYINDICATING THAT SAID PACKAGE HAS BEEN OPENED, THE VERTICAL LENGTH OFSAID SPACED RECESSES SUBSTANTIALLY EXCEEDING THE VERTICAL LENGTH OF SAIDLUG MEANS SO AS TO PERMIT SAID TAMPERPROOF BAND TO DROP DOWN WHEN IT HASBECOME SEPARATED FROM SAID SKIRT.